School attendance zone committees being formed

Attendance zone committees are being formed in five schools south of the Mississippi River, Elk River Area School District Superintendent Mark Bezek reported to the School Board on Dec. 9.

He said these schools are at 110 percent capacity or more, triggering steps laid out in a policy to consider attendance zone changes and other possible changes at the building level.

“Attendance zone (changes) are just one solution,” Bezek said.

The committees will discuss what they would like to see done with crowding, whether its boundary changes, portable classrooms added, building additions or otherwise.

Bezek said the plan is to have each committee meet once at the school level before the first of the year, and early in 2014 the school district will pull all five groups together to give them information and send them back to their respective schools for further discussion.

“They will meet and then come back to the board with their recommendations,” Bezek said.

School Board Member Sue Farber spoke later in the Dec. 9 meeting about the formation of attendance zone committees. She said it’s important for the board to get “opinions” and “buy in” before taking potential solutions out to community cafes.